Tian
Settled by a conglomerate of East Asian manufacturing giants, Tian was built from the ground up as an industrial powerhouse. With dark skies and a barely breathable atmosphere, the environment of the planet is oppressive. Neon signs break up the bleak cityscapes, where people walk around in masks to deal with the smog. Always putting business first, Tian is an economic powerhouse and major contributor of goods to the Colonial Sphere. General Information Population: 300,000,000 Demonym: Tiang Major Cities: Tianjin, Shenyang, Dongbu History Settlement Due to the inhospitable nature of the planet's environment, Tian was passed over by UCN surveyors for government sponsored colonialism. Instead, several years after settlement began elsewhere in the budding colonial sphere, a group of East Asian corporations bought the rights to Tian from the UCN. All resources found on the planet, scarce as they may be, were to be under the claim of the corporations, in addition to having unfettered government over the planet. Shipping out massive amounts of materials and workers, a fleet of colony ships made landfall on Tian in 2134. After a brief period of rapid construction, the initial foundations of what would become Tianjin became the first settlement on Tian. Expansion As the settlements on Tian began to develop and prosper, the new citizens began to come to grips with the difficult environment they now found themselves. In 2139, masks began to be distributed to workers as part of their daily wear, encouraged in a bid to stop the spike in lung disease that had spread throughout the population since their arrival. More and more settlements were established across the planet as more corporations began to create a foothold on the planet. It became prized territory for industrial-minded groups, providing the population to work in factories as well as the space to test any products. This advantage was seized by the Shenyang Aeronautics Corporation in 2147 upon the completion of the Shenyang Shipyards. Partly subsidized by the UCN, the Shenyang Shipyards allowed for the construction of enormous ships and the testing of new ship technology. With the SAC becoming the new primary supplier of ships for the UCN, Tian began to receive much more attention from their Earth-based administrators. In 2161, Dongbu Group finished another massive complex. The Dongbu Mining Facility, or better known as simply Dongbu, was built to provide Tian with its own resources to counteract the growing dependence upon Perun for supplies. Built after deep scans showed vast resource fields deep underground, the mine marked the first step of Tian's corporations working to make themselves more self-sufficient. Colonial Civil War Upon the onset of the Colonial Civil War, Tian publicly supported the UCN and continued supplying ships and arms for the UCA. However, sensing their opportunity to make themselves permanently independent, some of Tian's corporations began to clandestinely sell to the rebels as well. The Civil War marks a period of rising tensions within the corporations on Tian, with the differences of business practices manifesting itself in corporate espionage and the acts of sponsored dissent amongst the workforce. Undercover operatives would encourage workers of rival companies to strike, or commit acts of sabotage, in an effort to surpass each other. This dissent was seized upon by some of the Tam Hoang, who fanned the flames and created a movement to demand more riots for the worker. This, combined by several riots and terrorist actions by the group, resulted in the corporate government coming down hard on the Tam Hoang. Rather than deal with increased pressure in the spotlight, the Tam not involved with the lobbying groups began to deal with the protests themselves. Several years after the start of this war, the unaligned Tams managed to eradicate the protesting Tams, usurping their territory for their own and changing the way the Tam Hoang worked on Tian forever. The fall of Tian to rebel forces happened in 2179. Tian was one of the final planets to fall, having been protected by the remaining UCA forces in a well-prepared last stand effort. Intense city-fighting marked the conflict on Tian, with the various factories and labyrinths marking huge loss of life on both sides. After a drawn-out siege campaign, Tianjin falls to the rebels. Tired of the fighting and with victory in sight, the rebels leave Tian for the corporations to deal with and leave the world to continue on their march. Rebuilding The rebuilding process was long and arduous, though the Tiangs took to it with the efficiency and diligence they do everything else. Rebuilding the factories was relatively simple, but cleanup of Tianjin took far longer. Some years later, the city has recovered, though the reconstruction left the city even more confusing for outsiders to navigate. Geography Tian is a primordial world covered in ash and dust storms. Vast fields of ruin stretch across the surface of the planet, broken up by corporate facilities and the twisting labyrinthine cities that house the Tiang settlers. Almost perpetually covered in darkness, the cities are the only refuges on the planet, containing the huge housing projects that keep the workers close to the industry. Culture The culture of Tian is very suppressed. Built entirely around working for the corporations that own the planet, the workers are largely dependent upon them for survival. Dominating every aspect of life, from housing to food, has given the average Tiang very little control over their daily life. There are some who live outside this state of serfdom, though a lack of services and support often forces these free Tiangs into the arms of the mafia to survive. Tiangs are accustomed to this life, knowing little else. Bright lights mark what little entertainment they have access to, typically of a tolerated illicit or dangerous nature. Health concerns are a constant threat, with lung damage from the ash in the air a major concern for most. Masks are worn to ward off this threat, though it often does little to help. Tiangs are often characterized off-world by a stoic attitude and relentless perserverance. Government The government, or at least what passes for it on Tiang, is entirely dominated by the consortium of corporations that base themselves on the planet. Operating very much on a laissez-faire, almost anarchistic, system the corporations continually politic against one another to gain more control over the planets resources and interests. The Dongbu Group has currently held governorship of the planet for ten years now, a stretch of time unprecedented in the modern era.